Thursday, July 25, 2013

"The tide against the Conservatives will continue, because Harper isn't going to change a thing." Op Ed

A great article by former Saskatchewan MLA & Cabinet Minister Pat Atkinson ....

Harper 'change' cabinet retains mean face

"Prime Minister Stephen Harper tried to hit the reset button with his cabinet shuffle, but he'll have to do better.As
Harper was busy answering reporters' questions about his "change"
cabinet, the one question that seemed to get him stuck was what he was
going to do to change. He ducked the question.

The cabinet
makeover was supposed to be a channel changer, but I'm not sure that it
will stop Harper's political slide. While there are some new faces
around his cabinet table, he still has significant challenges to
overcome if the Conservatives are to get a fourth term and keep him in
the prime minister's chair.

Let's face it. Harper doesn't exactly
resonate all that well with women and young people, who appear to be
more comfortable with the NDP and the Liberal party. Women and the
new generation usually have a pretty good nose when it comes to those
who feel the need to be in control and have a bit of a mean streak.

Harper's
behaviour suggests he has both qualities. By increasing the number of
women in cabinet and including some younger MPs, the prime minister is
hoping to freshen his government's image, touting a message of gender
equality and generational change along with a steady hand being provided
by veteran ministers.

Yet what sticks out in his attempt at
putting more women in cabinet is that the male guard remains responsible
for Canada's fiscal and economic policies. It is the same old,
same old, with Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, Treasury Board Chair Tony
Clement, International Trade Minister Ed Fast and Natural Resources
Minister Joe Oliver staying put. But one thing is for sure: You
can get into Harper's cabinet if you have a nasty streak and stick to
the PMO's endless talking points.

Several young backbench MPs who
appeared regularly in the media to defend the government with their
unpleasant barbs got promoted in the shuffle.

While two of these
talking heads - Ontario MPs Kellie Leitch and Chris Alexander - became
full-fledged ministers, the most effective among this group, the able
and gifted Calgary MP Michelle Rempel, now in her early 30s, is a junior
Minister of State for Western Diversification. That's too bad. If
Harper really were interested in putting a new face on his government he
would have placed Rempel, who has the temerity to think on her own
occasionally and communicate effectively, in a full cabinet position.

Watching
the ministers swear their oath of office to freely express their
opinions reminded me that it's their job to speak truth to power. And
here's where having women in key cabinet positions and on influential
cabinet committees could have made a difference if Harper really is
prepared to let them speak and listen to what they have to say.

One
of the things that struck me when I sat at the cabinet table in both
the Roy Romanow and Lorne Calvert governments was that the women, of
whom there were good numbers, always expressed their views, even when
"the boss" didn't want to hear it.

There were occasions when the
premier needed to be reminded that he had put a woman in a cabinet
position for a reason and he needed to pay attention. Fellow
cabinet ministers such as Louise Simard, Carol Teichrob, Carol Carson,
Joanne Crofford and Judy Junor had no difficulty advocating for policy
changes they believed in.

All of these women were given
assignments that meant something, and because of the breadth of their
experience were listened to, whether the person hearing it liked it or
not. Having more women occupy cabinet seats could mean something
if these ministers are given some substantive goals. We'll have to wait
to see if the next throne speech lays out a different agenda for any of
the federal portfolios occupied by women. So, what does this cabinet
shuffle mean in terms of improving the Conservatives' chances come the
2015 federal election? Very little, actually.Harper remains the
face of cabinet, and it is the face of the underlying negative social
policies and attitudes, and the remoteness and meanness of the
government - all of which are turning off a majority of Canadians.

Leaders
of governments like to think that a shuffle "puts a new face" on their
administration. It doesn't, because the same old key face remains. The tide against the Conservatives will continue, because Harper isn't going to change a thing.